Welcome to the Village
by living in dreamland
Summary: Jonas has escaped the Community. He wasn't the first, and he won't be the last. Who were they, why did they leave, and what did they find?
1. Lost

A boy and a girl walked down the street with their mother. The girl whined, "But_ everyone_ in my class has a hoverboard. Why –"

"You know why. They're dangerous, you're too young, and I can think of several ways we could better use our money."

"But _Mom…_"

"Shut up, brat," her older brother hissed, shoving her a little.

"Don't call me a brat," she hissed back.

"Then don't act like one," he retorted. Suddenly he pointed to the house they were approaching and they both stopped talking. They always did. Inside the house, a young girl observed them for a few second before turning back to her history notes.

**2010-2020: The Crisis Years**

**Health care debate**

**Weak economy**

**National debt**

**Environmental concerns**

**Energy costs**

**Extremist groups preying on people's fears**

**Election of 20- – winner was a write-in who ran a campaign on YouTube**

**Slogans – "Stop Whining and Do Something," "Waste Not, Want Not"**

**Eight years later – up – college enrollment, gardening, recycling, public transportation, volunteering**

**Down – energy usage, spending, poverty, unemployment**

**20- – Council for a Better World formed, radical cult with cutting edge technology, advocated "sameness," contained but not stopped**

Kelly read her notes one last time, confident she would pass the test tomorrow, but her thoughts lingered on the last line. _Contained but not stopped._ She understood why, of course. The group had seemed fairly innocuous at first, even getting some good press from time to time, and by the time its true intentions were made clear, it was too late. Starting with only two hundred members, all of them young, well-educated, able-bodied individuals, the group's leaders quickly had them brainwashed. They repudiated everything that made them different and fully embraced communism. They gave their money, their possessions, and their lives to the Council. They left everything to go to a placed simply know as the Community, where the Council assigned them homes, jobs, and even spouses and children. They created strict rules to keep everyone in line. Their scientists created special pills that would numb their emotions and make them more cooperative. They even got rid of color, weather, and memories. Those on the outside grew alarmed as reports came out. If they could do all this, surely they must have weapons as well. It was decided that the best course of action was to wait and watch, and offer covert assistance if possible. As time went on, the original settlers died, and with them, certain secrets of the past died as well. They had fully convinced themselves that this was the only world they had ever known, and that is what they taught their children. Kelly shivered suddenly as memories came rushing back.

She was eleven when it started. She would be at school, or volunteering, or having dinner, or doing something perfectly normal when something very strange would happen. For a split second, she would be somewhere entirely different. She would see things she had never seen before. She would feel everything more acutely than she had felt anything before. Sometimes it made her feel good, while other times it made her feel slightly ill, but when it was over, she always felt dread. Understanding came to her, piece by piece. It told her that somehow, she was receiving insight from the world that used to be. She had lived in the Community all her life, as had her parents, and she knew from listening to people at the House of the Old that it had been the same when they were young. But still, the Community had not always been there. Something had come before it.

Another thing she had come to realize was that they lied. The Council, the teachers, her parents, they all lied. They said that in a terrible time of confusion and chaos, the Council had found the solution in the Community and Sameness. No more chaos or confusion, no more pain or inequality, a perfect world. They lied. Things weren't perfect, which led to Kelly's most startling realization. There was more. More than order and calm contentment. Suddenly everything and everyone in the Community seemed false. They didn't see what she saw or feel what she felt. Those who prided themselves on their articulation would not be able to find words to describe it. She could not articulate what she was feeling, so she remained silent.

One day, after her volunteer hours, she went for a walk by the river. She walked and walked, getting lost in her thoughts, when it happened again. But no, something was different. This wasn't just a momentary glimpse of what was. This time, it stayed. Everything took on a mysterious quality which she could not explain. Everything appeared different somehow. It was more than shades of light and dark. But things changed in a different way too. The land became rough and the trees grew wild. She tripped and felt pain, but she got up again and kept walking. This happened several times until she realized that her hands and knees were sore and bleeding slightly, so she washed them in the river.

She was enchanted by everything she saw and felt when she realized it was late, and she was tired and hungry. It was only then that she remembered her backpack. Like every day, she had taken it with her to school, and from school to volunteering, but today there was something different. First, the teacher had not assigned any homework, so she left her books at school. Second, the night before, she had played a game before going to bed. She called it an Adventure, and pretended she was going to explore all the strange places she had glimpsed. She packed a change of clothes and snuck some food that was left over from dinner while her parents and brother were distracted.

She put on the extra clothes now as it seemed slightly cooler, ate the food, and took a drink from the river. She knew it was late, but, like everything else, the night was different, and she was too excited to be very tired. It was still light outside, light enough for her to see her surroundings, and she searched for an explanation. She looked up and saw a bright, pale orb and tiny pricks of light shining in the darkness. Then she got up once again and ran. She ran as fast as she could until she was on the ground, gasping for breath. And all the time, something was telling her to keep going. Don't stop. Run far, far away and don't stop until you find what you're looking for.

Finally, she had to stop. The pale orb and the smaller lights disappeared, and she was ready to collapse when she heard something. A low humming in the distance… She saw lights… They were coming straight at her! Suddenly, she was afraid. She realized it was wrong, what she had been doing. It was against the rules to stay out so late and go so deep into the woods alone. People must be looking for her, and she knew an apology would not be enough to help her now. The lights came closer and closer and, being only a little girl who was very frightened and exhausted, she fainted. Suddenly there was a loud screech and a slam. Kelly opened her eyes and saw a woman jump out of a car and run toward her.


	2. Found

"Are you alright?" the woman asked breathlessly, kneeling beside her. When Kelly whispered that she was, the woman looked at her for a moment before asking gently, "What's your name?"

"Kelly."

"And what are you doing out here so late?"

"I live in the Community. I…I don't want to go back."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"No one would care if I left." That was not what she meant to say, but upon further consideration, she realized it was true. They would think she was Lost, have a ceremony to say goodbye, and then forget about her. Her parents would get a new daughter to replace her and go on with their lives as if nothing had happened. She explained that she had taken a walk by the river when everything had changed, and she had kept going and going, and now she didn't want to go back.

At that, the woman stood and escorted her to her car, which was already full of people. A young man sat in the passenger's seat and two girls, only a few years older than Kelly, sat in the back, all looking slightly apprehensive. Kelly sat in the back with the other girls. The woman made introductions as she buckled her seatbelt and rechecked her mirrors.

"This is Christopher, Amy, and Leah. Perhaps you know each other. And my name is Mary Jones. I understand you don't have last names in the Community, but the world is a big place where many people have the same first names, so we need last names to tell them apart." She looked at the clock and said, "It's almost morning. We should be at the Village by lunch."

She started driving, occasionally making remarks on their surroundings, and Kelly quickly fell asleep. She didn't wake up again until they arrived at their destination.

They called it the Children's Village. Twenty-four children, ages four to eighteen years, lived in the red house at the bottom of the hill. The house was part of a small farm and, though fairly large, it often came as a surprise to people that so many people lived there. Inside were six bedrooms. One belonged to Mary and her husband Jonathan. Another belonged to her parents, who everyone called Grandmother and Grandfather. The other four rooms had three bunk beds each, and room for a fourth if the need arose. Jonathan Jones had been orphaned as a teenager and stayed at the home for a few weeks before turning eighteen, which was run by Mary's parents at the time. He was the last child they took in before passing on the responsibility to their daughter.

On the first of December, the house was buzzing with activity. Grandfather and Jonathan were both doctors, so they were gone all day, but Grandmother watched the younger children while the older ones went to school, and Mary had been up since before dawn, cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry. When the older children came home, they got a quick snack in the kitchen before going off to do their homework. Then everyone joined the effort to make the house spotless. They swept, dusted, and washed away all the dirt they could find. They put away their laundry and carefully made their beds with clean sheets, blankets, and pillows. They gave the animals fresh food and water and cleaned the barn. Finally, Grandfather and Jonathan came home, and it was time for dinner.

When they all finished and helped clean up, it was time. Grandfather went outside and carried a large tree into the living room. It was five feet tall but fairly light, and it grew out of a large pot. First the lights were put on the tree, followed by a string of popcorn and cranberries. Then everyone took turns placing ornaments on it. There was nothing that looked mass-manufactured or liable to fall apart anytime soon. Everything had been handmade and passed down from generation to generation. Those who could took turns playing carols on the piano while everyone sang along.

As the month went on, everyone was very busy. The Children's Village had always been fairly self-sufficient, and it showed in December most of all. Those who had taken an interest in knitting and weaving made scarves, hats, mittens, and slippers. Those who liked woodworking or welding made tools and toys. Some learned to make candles. Still others preferred cooking and baking or tending the indoor garden, which was full of herbs, roses and poinsettias, vegetables, and fruit trees.

One day, Mary noticed Kelly sitting by the window yet again, lost in thought, and said, "I'm going out tomorrow. Would you like to come?"

Kelly knew that her parents were part of a group that made regular trips to the outskirts of the Community. They explained, after they had found her, that the Community was wrong. It was wrong in ways that went beyond taking away color and memories and personal choices such as jobs and families. It was what many people called a cult, and those who ran it abused their power, keeping people in the dark. Many people realized this on their own and tried to escape, but without help, they would most likely not make it. The night she had been picked up, she fell asleep during the ride, but she knew it would take hours to get there.

The next morning, they left soon after breakfast, and driving as fast as the speed limits would allow, they reached the usual pick-up point by dark. They waited for several hours, and Mary explained how they were part of a network that helped those who wished to leave the Community, and how some people infiltrated the Community to sabotage its leaders. She also tried to explain what she knew of the technology and drugs which interfered with brain activity somehow. Finally, they heard something in the distance, and a few moments later, they saw three children running toward them, two girls and a boy. They froze when they saw the car, but Mary went out to talk to them. Kelly could hear bits of the conversation.

"Our friend –"

"My brother –"

"The Receiver of Memories –"

"…gone…"

"…released the memories…"

Just then, Kelly felt it happen again. A glimpse of what was that seemed to last forever. She saw and felt war, pain, hunger, and death. Then she saw animals, weather, color, family, and most of all love, all things she had now. She held on to that thought until Mary came back with the others. It was Asher, and Fiona, and Lily! They thought she had been Lost, so she explained how she was found. Then they told her Jonas had been chosen as the Receiver, but now he was missing, along with a child that had been staying with his family before he was scheduled for release, and the memories were creating big changes in the Community. They talked for a long time before falling asleep. None of them noticed passing a bike off the side of the road or two boys hiding in the ditch.


	3. Merry Christmas

The twenty-third of December began when the entire household awoke early to the sound of carols and the smell of gingerbread, cloves and cinnamon, spruce and pine. The adults had coffee with hot chocolate and candy canes while the teens helped the younger children get ready. After a large breakfast of pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup, sausage, and cinnamon toast, everyone went to work or school.

Nobody thought anything of the dropping temperature or the thick white clouds building on the horizon. Around nine, however, a weather alert came on the television and over the radio. Everyone stopped what they were doing and went straight for the windows. Long after the so-called climate change crisis had been dismissed, the weather was still a mess; the area had seen no significant snowfall in years. The first flakes began to fall at precisely ten-thirty, and within half an hour, it was well on its way to becoming a blizzard, so school was let out early. When homework was finished and all last-minute preparations were complete two hours later, there were already six inches on the ground.

When the snow paused, the older children got their shovels and cleared the path before moving on to the rest of the neighborhood, while ten-year-old Kate and her older brother Michael, assured that their help was not needed, decided to go sledding. They had arrived at the Children's Village only two months before. Unlike most of the people there, they were not from the Community. Twelve-year-old Michael had adjusted quickly; with so many people looking out for him and helping him, he made friends, his grades improved, and he stopped getting in trouble. Sometimes he worried about his sister a little. After what their parents had done, she still had some trouble trusting people and being open with her new family. But on days like today, they forgot all of that.

They took Asher, Fiona, and Lily with them and told them about the Village and their family and the town they lived in and the true meaning of the quickly approaching holiday. It seemed strange to the siblings how ignorant the newcomers were and how they were adjusting. Though the Community had experienced great changes before their departure, they were still not used to feeling much at all and were therefore very sensitive to their newly realized emotions. When Fiona accidentally pushed Lily or Asher said something that made Fiona uncomfortable, they had stuttered out an apology as if feeling that the old ritual was insufficient.

They had been sledding for about an hour when Mary called them inside. They were about to go down one last time when they slid off the sled and tumbled down the hill. Kate was about to go back up for it when Michael said, "Forget it. This way we won't have to pull it back up next time."

Inside, Grandmother and Mary were putting the finishing touches on dinner. Mary was fairly young, only thirty-three, with shoulder-length light brown hair and a nice smile that always put people at ease. She looked so much like her mother that those from the Community, where there were no real families, were often shocked by the resemblance. They each had a snack and went to the living room where they worked on what was always their biggest project this time of year.

Asher, Fiona, and Lily were impressed with the family's hard work and industry, delighted with their various skills, and curious about purpose of the boxes stacked along the walls. Each one was carefully wrapped in beautiful paper and contained a handwritten, heartfelt note and several gifts. The others explained that the world was far from perfect, and there were many people in need of assistance, especially at this time of year. They had already put together over a hundred boxes for people in third-world countries and faraway cities, but now it was time to think closer to home. They finished putting the last few boxes together just as the others came home.

Carols played softly over the radio, the lights on the tree were turned on for everyone to enjoy, and the fire was lit as it was getting dark and the temperature was dropping quickly. After dinner, seventeen-year-old Matt turned to Michael and asked where his sled was. Seeing the snow had started to fall again, he wanted to make sure they would be able to find it the next day. So they put on their coats, boots, hats, and gloves and walked outside. The snow was at least ten inches deep and the temperature had dropped to twenty-five degrees. They started toward the hill when they heard something.

Matt shone his flashlight around and saw the sled speeding down the hill, finally stopping in the evergreen bushes. He was about to yell at Michael not to be careless with his things next time when he saw him. A boy, around Michael's age, wearing only a flimsy shirt, threadbare pants, and shoes that were completely worn through, holding something tightly against his chest. He shouted to Michael, "Get Mom and Dad!" before taking off his coat and hat and putting them on the frozen boy. He sighed in relief when he saw his eyes open, but terror soon took over when he realized what he was holding on to. A child. A baby boy, wrapped in what appeared to be the older boy's jacket. At that, he pulled the sled out from the bushes and ran as fast as he could toward the house.

His parents met him halfway there. Mary immediately took the baby and held him in her coat while Matt and Jonathan carried the older boy inside. The doctor began shouting instructions to the older children, who quickly put more logs on the fire, got warm, dry clothes and blankets, and shepherded the younger children into the kitchen. He placed the boy on the couch while his wife quickly put some clean, warm clothes on the baby and sat on the chair closest to the fire holding him.

After half an hour, they were fairly confident that the boys would be alright. Jonathan concluded they were both frostbitten, but it was not as bad as they had first supposed. Actually, it was nothing short of a miracle they were both alive. He took the baby from his wife, who went to the kitchen where everyone was waiting anxiously. The most anxious, of course, were his friends and his sister. Mary made some tea and explained that they would just have to hope and pray that the boys would get well. Knowing there was nothing more they could do, she insisted they do as they always did in the evenings, taking turns reading before putting the younger children to bed and bringing the television into the master bedroom so the older children could watch a movie.

Jonas woke up early the next morning. His head hurt and his throat was sore. He heard low voices coming from nearby. He knew he shouldn't listen in on people's conversations, but he was still half asleep and couldn't help overhearing.

"Well?"

"I checked earlier. No fever, no serious damage from hypothermia, blood pressure is almost normal. They should be just fine. Talk about a Christmas miracle." There was a pause. "What?"

"I thought I saw…" Another pause. "Jonas? Are you awake?"

He opened his eyes. He saw a man and woman in a room that shone softly with a fire and multicolored lights on a tree. It was like the old memory, but much more vivid. It was real. He heard the faint tinkling music that had been playing when he lost consciousness and recognized the smell of the tree, decorated with gingerbread cookies and pomanders, turkey and stuffing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. But…

"Where is Gabe?"

"Gabriel?" asked the woman. "He's still sleeping. Both of you were nearly frozen when we found you, but it looks like you'll be fine now."

They introduced themselves and said they would talk more later before slipping out of the room. At the same time, they let in three people Jonas never expected to see again. After a joyful reunion, the rest of the family slowly trickled in, bringing food and drinks and putting more logs on the fire. Eventually Gabe was brought in as well. They stayed there all morning, talking, laughing, singing, eating, and reading.

Later, Jonas described his journey with Gabe, and Asher, Lily, and Fiona told about the changes in the Community. The bad memories came first, beginning with things like sunburns and fear. Then they kept getting worse and worse. Though the expected chaos never fully came, by the time they received the memory of war, the Community simply ceased to function at all but the most basic level, and for some not even that. Perhaps the most striking, crippling realization was that, for all their efforts, the Community had failed to eradicate all these wrongs. Everyone, to their dismay, found they were not entirely innocent themselves. No one could go to school or work or volunteering, or even get out of bed as if everything was perfectly fine. Many locked themselves in their rooms while some simply broke down in the streets, and no one was too concerned about the rules or their so-called leaders anymore, seeing as they had been among the first to break down and the least able to function. It was fortunate that all this occurred in a matter of hours; had it been longer, they may have very well destroyed themselves. As it was, the worst of the memories ended with one of an innocent man, the son of a king, in fact, who had accepted hostility and eventually death by the people he had come to save, leaving people sad, afraid, and even angry, when something new started to happen.

It started with a child's laugh. The child had run about, looking for a place to hide, before coming to the Giver's house where he had been distracted by the library, with more books than anyone in the Community had ever been privileged to see. When the pleasant memories had calmed him enough to read, he found some desperately needed answers in the old library. He called to his friends, and soon, all the children of the Community ran outside and saw the colors, the real sky, and everything that had been hidden for far too long. Slowly, the adults ventured outside, amazed at their resiliency and greater ability to cope with the horrors they had witnessed than the leaders who now appeared either catatonic or simply mad, raging against anything and everything that could have caused this disaster. But there they were.

They considered finding the Giver to ask for advice, reasoning it may have been his fault, or the Receiver's, but they still needed guidance, when a revelation came to them. They needed the Giver because he knew what it meant; he had seen the worst that humanity had to offer and because of that, he was considered wise. They saw how foolish they were in comparison, depending solely on their leaders to tell them how to live, knowing if humanity had survived so long when the world was such a terrible place, there had to be good things too, which they had denied themselves. Between this realization and an investigation into the children's discovery, they found more joy and peace than they had ever felt before.

Of course, they agreed they could never go back to how things were and promptly removed the leaders from their positions. They did go to see the Giver, but not to blame or demand an explanation. He advised them to read some of his books to learn how to live. Some people chose to leave, to go out into the world and face reality, while others took on the responsibility of true leadership and guided the Community as it rebuilt. Asher, Fiona, and Lily found there was little they could do there and decided to leave. They found they really did love their families, but all agreed that some time, even a few years, apart could be for the best.

By the time they finished talking, it was time for dinner, and Jonas and Gabe were both perfectly well. After dinner, they realized they still had to deliver their gifts, so they bundled up and headed out, carrying dozens of boxes throughout the neighborhood before going to the Christmas Eve service. They returned home very late, caroling the whole way, just as the snow began to fall again, this time in thick flakes that drifted gracefully from the sky. They had some gingerbread cookies and eggnog and finally went to bed, falling asleep to the sound of a music box playing the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. It was a good night. When Jonas fell asleep, he knew he was finally home.


End file.
